Organizations come together to present Songs of the Revolution(s), a musical tribute to the 250th (copy)
Area organizations, including the Birthplace of Country Music, the Crooked Road - Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy, and Theatre Bristol, will present an original production, Songs of the Revolution(s), featuring a wide variety of talented local artists and musicians as we celebrate 250 years of the United States of America.
“With this concert, we were inspired by the anniversary of the American Revolution to use music as a lens into history over the last 250 years,” said the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Director Dr. René Rodgers. “We have been fortunate to work with amazing partners and artists to create an uplifting and engaging evening of storytelling and song!”
Songs of the Revolution(s) explores revolutionary moments in America’s and Virginia’s history through song and spoken word – from the American Revolution and the struggles for civil rights and women’s suffrage, to the evolution of industry and innovation, to sacrifice and service in many spheres of American life, to the connections between people and communities that make our nation stronger and more vibrant.
This limited engagement featuring traditional and modern American tunes and the history that shaped our country, will include spoken word narratives written by former educator David Winship and a Hamilton mash-up with performers coordinated by award-winning cellist Dave Eggar, a rendition of “Kings Mountain” by the MECCA Men, “Highwayman” performed by Theatre Bristol soloists, “Keep Marching” from the musical Suffs with Bella Voce, the YWCA TechGYRLS, and Floreñcia Rusinol, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by the Lee Street Baptist Church choir, “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live” by Jim Lloyd, and many other beloved and powerful songs, stories, and inspiring patriotic favorites.
Songs of the Revolution(s) will be held Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. in the Cameo Theatre, located at 703 State Street, Bristol, Va. Each ticket is $15. Tickets can be purchased via Theatre Bristol’s website.
Other educational opportunities include two VA250-themed special exhibits at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum: Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation (October 13–November 22) and We the People: The World in Our Commonwealth (October 27–December 6). While these exhibits are Virginia-themed and originate from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, BCMM’s curatorial team has supplemented them with panels and images that reflect Tennessee’s story in the American Revolution and immigration. From Oct. 28 to Oct. 31, the City of Bristol, Virginia, and the museum are also hosting the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience Out of Many, One, which is free and open to the public and available for free school visits.
